Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026
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Would provide FY2026 appropriations for the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Forest Service, the Indian Health Service, and more than a dozen cultural agencies — collectively funding tens of billions of dollars in public lands management, environmental programs, tribal services, and arts and humanities grants.
Beyond funding, the bill includes policy riders that would bar Fish and Wildlife Service listing proposals for greater sage-grouse, mandate reinstatement of the official name 'Denali' within 30 days of enactment, require the National Park Service to retain all park lands as federal property, and direct key land management agencies to maintain staffing levels.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would appropriate FY2026 funds for the Department of the Interior (covering the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Bureau of Indian Education), the Environmental Protection Agency, the Forest Service, the Indian Health Service, and more than a dozen cultural institutions including the Smithsonian Institution, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Gallery of Art, and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. It would also fund a dedicated wildfire suppression reserve that can be transferred to agency wildfire accounts when regular suppression funds near exhaustion.
Beyond funding, the bill would prohibit the Secretary of the Interior from issuing proposed Endangered Species Act listing rules for greater sage-grouse, require restoration of the official name "Denali" within 30 days, mandate that all designated national park unit lands remain federal property as of May 2, 2025, direct BLM, NPS, FWS, and Forest Service to maintain staffing levels, rescind $91 million in prior-year unobligated balances, and extend several expiring authorities.
Key provisions
- 1Would appropriate $1,256,992,000 for BLM land management operations, including wild horse and burro management, mineral leasing, wildlife habitat, and recreation programs.
- 2Would appropriate $4,386,109,000 in EPA State and Tribal Assistance Grants, including Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund capitalization grants, brownfields grants, and targeted airshed grants.
- 3Would fund Interior wildland fire management at $1,148,171,000 and Forest Service wildland fire at $2,426,111,000, with combined suppression reserve funds of $2,850,000,000 available for transfer when primary accounts near exhaustion.
- 4Would prohibit the Secretary of the Interior from issuing any proposed Endangered Species Act listing rule for greater sage-grouse or its Columbia Basin distinct population segment.
- 5Would require the Secretary of the Interior to restore the official name 'Denali' within 30 days and permanently bar any other federal designation for the mountain, with $1,000,000 appropriated for compliance.
- 6Would direct the Department of the Interior to maintain all national park unit lands, national scenic and historic trails, and wild and scenic rivers designated as federal land as of May 2, 2025 as federal property.
- 7Would rescind $41,000,000 from EPA Buildings and Facilities and $50,000,000 from Kennedy Center Capital Repair from prior-year unobligated balances.
Who would be affected
Federal land management agency employees and contractors; tribal nations and tribal organizations relying on Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Indian Education, and Indian Health Service funding; states and municipalities receiving EPA revolving fund capitalization grants; offshore oil and gas operators subject to inspection fees; arts organizations and cultural institutions receiving National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities grants; and members of the public who use national parks, forests, and wildlife refuges.
Why it matters
The funding levels would determine whether land management agencies can staff wildfire crews, process permits, run tribal health clinics, and protect natural resources during FY2026. Policy riders — prohibiting sage-grouse listing, mandating Denali's name, and requiring retention of all national park lands as federal property — would set legally binding constraints on the executive branch with effects that extend beyond a single fiscal year.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends 54 U.S.C. 103101 (National Park Service emergency law enforcement authority) (Sec. 123)
Raises the emergency law enforcement expenditure ceiling from $250,000 to $500,000.
Amends Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 (section 113 of division G of Public Law 113-76) (Sec. 124)
Removes the fiscal year 2014–2024 time limit on contribution authority, making it permanent.
Amends American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian Culture and Art Development Act (20 U.S.C. 4441) (Sec. 128)
Modifies grant application requirements for the Institute, changing faculty composition language and removing certain application criteria.
Amends Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act (5 U.S.C. 5547 note) (Sec. 438)
Adjusts firefighter premium and overtime pay cap calculation language and applies waivers for FY2026.
Amends John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act (43 U.S.C. 1629g-1) (Sec. 440)
Extends the Alaska Native Vietnam-era veterans land allotment program application window from a 5-year to a 10-year period.
Amends Agriculture Act of 2014, section 8206 (Good Neighbor Authority, 16 U.S.C. 2113a) (Sec. 442)
Extends the Good Neighbor Authority — allowing cooperative forest management agreements with states — through 2026.
Agencies directed to act
Effective dates
- Appropriations available for obligation and expenditure
- Secretary of the Interior must reinstate name 'Denali' and update Geographic Names Information System
- Secretary of the Interior must update all public-facing materials to reflect 'Denali'
- Land and Water Conservation Fund allocations must be made by Interior and Agriculture Secretaries
Funding and costs
- $1,256,992,000
BLM management of lands and resources, including wild horse and burro management, mineral leasing, and recreation
- $1,462,934,000
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service resource management, scientific studies, and general administration
- $2,869,424,000
National Park Service operation of the national park system, including maintenance and cyclic repair
- $1,485,354,000
U.S. Geological Survey surveys, investigations, and research
- $1,918,712,000
Bureau of Indian Affairs operation of Indian programs, including welfare assistance and road maintenance
- $1,131,617,000
Bureau of Indian Education operation of Indian education programs and schools
- $1,148,171,000
Interior Department wildland fire management, including suppression, fuels management, and rehabilitation
- $370,000,000
Interior wildfire suppression operations reserve fund, transferable when primary suppression funds near exhaustion
- $2,869,076,000
EPA environmental programs and management, including Energy Star, Great Lakes Restoration, and enforcement
- $4,386,109,000
EPA State and Tribal Assistance Grants, including Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds and brownfields grants
- $2,426,111,000
Forest Service wildland fire management, including presuppression, suppression, and rehabilitation
- $2,480,000,000
Forest Service wildfire suppression operations reserve fund, transferable when primary suppression funds near exhaustion
- $4,805,147,000
Indian Health Service primary services appropriation, available October 1, 2026, for health care programs for tribal members
- $924,521,000
Smithsonian Institution salaries and expenses, including museums, research, and public programs
- $207,000,000
National Endowment for the Arts grants and administration
- $207,000,000
National Endowment for the Humanities grants and administration
- $130,000,000
Additional payments to Appalachian states and federally recognized Indian tribes for abandoned mine land reclamation and economic development
How implementation would work
The bill appropriates funds across dozens of accounts with varying availability — one to two fiscal years for operations, until expended for construction and fire suppression. Agencies must follow committee-approved reprogramming guidelines before shifting funds between programs. Monthly balance reports, quarterly disaster estimates, and 45-day advance notice before reorganizations or significant staffing changes are required. Several provisions direct agencies to maintain staffing levels by hiring and rehiring after separations. Wildfire suppression reserve funds may transfer to agency fire accounts only after congressional notification confirming primary accounts will be exhausted within 30 days.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 124.
Official CRS summary
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This bill provides FY2026 appropriations for the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and several related agencies.
The bill provides appropriations to Interior for
- the Bureau of Land Management,
- the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
- the National Park Service,
- the U.S. Geological Survey,
- the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management,
- the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement,
- the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement,
- the Bureau of Indian Affairs,
- the Bureau of Indian Education,
- the Bureau of Trust Funds Administration,
- Departmental Offices, and
- Department-Wide Programs.
The bill also provides appropriations to the EPA and the Forest Service.
Within the Department of Health and Human Services, the bill provides appropriations for
- the Indian Health Service,
- the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and
- the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
The bill provides appropriations to several related agencies, including
- the Council on Environmental Quality and Office of Environmental Quality,
- the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board,
- the Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation,
- the Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development,
- the Smithsonian Institution,
- the National Gallery of Art,
- the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts,
- the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars,
- the National Endowment for the Arts,
- the National Endowment for the Humanities,
- the Commission of Fine Arts,
- the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.
- the National Capital Planning Commission,
- the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and
- the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission.
Additionally, the bill sets forth requirements and restrictions for using funds provided by this and other appropriations acts.
Legislative subjects
Accounting and auditing; Advisory bodies; Air quality; Alaska; Alaska Natives and Hawaiians; Alternative and renewable resources; American Samoa; Appropriations; Art, artists, authorship; Birds; Building construction; Buy American requirements; California; Commemorative events and holidays; Computers and information technology; Congressional oversight; Data collection, sharing, protection; Department of Agriculture; Department of Health and Human Services; Department of the Interior; District of Columbia; Domestic violence and child abuse; Drug, alcohol, tobacco use; Economics and Public Finance; Education programs funding; Educational facilities and institutions; Elementary and secondary education; Employee hiring; Endangered and threatened species; Energy storage, supplies, demand; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Environmental assessment, monitoring, research; Environmental health; Environmental regulatory procedures; Executive Office of the President; Executive agency funding and structure; Federal-Indian relations; Fires; First responders and emergency personnel; Fishes; Foreign aid and international relief; Forests, forestry, trees; Geography and mapping; Government buildings, facilities, and property; Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management; Government information and archives; Government lending and loan guarantees; Government studies and investigations; Government trust funds; Great Lakes; Guam; Hazardous wastes and toxic substances; Health care coverage and access; Health facilities and institutions; Health information and medical records; Health programs administration and funding; Health technology, devices, supplies; Historic sites and heritage areas; Historical and cultural resources; Humanities programs funding; Indian claims; Indian lands and resources rights; Indian social and development programs; Intergovernmental relations; Lakes and rivers; Land transfers; Land use and conservation; Law enforcement administration and funding; Lease and rental services; Licensing and registrations; Marine and coastal resources, fisheries; Marine pollution; Marshall Islands; Medical research; Mental health; Metals; Micronesia; Mining; Minority education; Minority health; Monuments and memorials; Museums, exhibitions, cultural centers; National Capital Planning Commission; National Institutes of Health (NIH); Neurological disorders; New Jersey; New Mexico; New York State; Northern Mariana Islands; Oil and gas; Oregon; Palau; Parks, recreation areas, trails; Performing arts; Pest management; Pollution liability; Poverty and welfare assistance; Public contracts and procurement; Racial and ethnic relations; Research administration and funding; Research and development; Smithsonian Institution; Solid waste and recycling; State and local government operations; U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council; U.S. territories and protectorates; User charges and fees; Virgin Islands; Virginia; Water quality; Water storage; Water use and supply; Wetlands
Committee report
S. Rept. 119-46